Hundreds of calls over Madeleine

Police in Portugal hunting for missing Madeleine McCann have received hundreds of calls after releasing a detailed description of a suspect, an official has said.

The four-year-old has been missing for 24 days after she was snatched from her bed in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3.

Her parents Gerry and Kate, both 38, have made repeated appeals for information and forced the Portuguese police - who do not normally reveal any information about a case - to back down and give the suspect's description to the public.

The change in attitude came after discussions between Mr McCann and Chancellor Gordon Brown earlier this week. On Sunday, the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) said most of the calls related to the description released on Friday.

A white man aged between 35 and 40 was seen by a female friend of the McCanns near the apartment, holding what was thought to be a child at around 9.30pm on the night Madeleine disappeared. It is understood he was only seen from behind and it was not clear in which direction he was heading.

Spokesman Olegario Sousa told Portuguese paper Correio da Manha: "The parents of Madeleine had already asked us to reveal the details which could help in the investigation. The release of the description was authorised by the ministerio publico (public prosecutor)."

A number of sightings have been reported, including 72-year-old Jose Francisco who came forward on Saturday, claiming to have seen a couple with a young child behaving strangely near Luz.

He told the Jornal de Noticias: "A couple with a girl inside a car went the wrong way down a one way street and made many dangerous manoeuvres."

On Sunday the McCanns attended the regular church service in the town.

The number of hits on the find Madeleine website has now risen to 128 million.